Viking invaders to blame for breast cancer gene

Published on Wednesday 16 April 2003 01:00

FAULTY genes which cause cancer in some Scottish women may have been inherited from invading Vikings 1,000 years ago, researchers have found.

The discovery comes as part of a survey which shows a distinct pattern of genetic faults in women in Scotland and Northern Ireland with inherited breast and ovarian cancer.

Scientists believe the results will improve the effectiveness of genetic testing . Women at risk of the cancers could also be identified and screened earlier so that abnormalities can be spotted sooner.

The mutations mean Scottish women have a different legacy of inherited cancers from those south of the Border.

The results, reported in the British Journal of Cancer, show one fault that is especially common in Aberdeen and Dundee may have been brought to Britain by the Vikings or Scandinavian fishermen.

Professor Mike Steel, of St Andrews University, whose research was funded by the Breast Cancer Campaign and the Scottish Executive, said: "It looks like the original Scottish and Northern Irish population was founded by quite a small group of people with certain characteristic genes and less genetic variety than elsewhere.

"Today, that genetic legacy continues to affect predisposition to inherited cancers and the way they are diagnosed and treated."

The research focused on faults in two key genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which cause about 3 per cent of breast cancers and many cases of ovarian cancer.

The study found just ten types of genetic damage, five in each gene, accounted for almost half of all the mutations detected, which is a much narrower spread than in the south.

Dr Marie Boyd, of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories in Glasgow, who also took part in the research, said: "Scotland seems to have its own distinctive cluster of cancer mutations, some originating here and others perhaps brought over by invaders."